Police said the men – aged 73, 50 and 25 – were arrested following a joint investigation targeting people using the internet with the intention of engaging in sexual acts with children.

The three men are accused of engaging with covert online profiles maintained by detectives and arranging to meet who they believed was a child for sex.

Police said instead the men were confronted by detectives when they attended Gold Coast locations earlier this week.

The 73-year-old from Currumbin Waters, the 50-year-old from Arundel and the 25-year-old Southport man are all expected to appear at a Gold Coast court on December 5.

“This operation highlights that parents and caregivers need to have regular conversations with their children about online safety and the importance of having a trusted adult that they can confide in if they are worried about an online experience or are feeling unsafe,” Detective Inspector Glen Donaldson said.